Defenseman Andrej Sekera's return from seven months of rehabilitation for a knee injury was not the front-and-center story for the Edmonton Oilers in their 3-2 victory against the St. Louis Blues at Rogers Place on Thursday.

It took a back seat to the Oilers' first three-game winning streak of the season, helped by two third-period comebacks against the Blues, a high-skill goal by captain Connor McDavid and the game-winner from third-line forward Drake Caggiula with 49.8 seconds remaining in the third period.

But Sekera's first game of the season is a layer beneath the surface that can help the Oilers turn a disastrous start into a run at a Stanley Cup playoff spot.

The winning streak has coincided with the return from injury of No. 1 goaltender Cam Talbot and defenseman Adam Larsson. Talbot returned from a seven-game absence because of an upper-body injury for a 3-2 win against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday that started the streak. Larsson missed eight games because of an upper-body injury, returning against the San Jose Sharks on Monday. Now adding Sekera to the lineup only adds to momentum.